Valved dispenser in combination with an aerating device for a bottled liquid



y 1968 R. F. HENNINGFIELD 3,384,276

VALVED DISPENSER IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERATING DEVICE FOR A BOTTLEDLIQUID Filed May 29, 1967 I N VEN TOR BY 1 F/. 6 W WWW United StatesPatent 3,384,276 VALVED DISPENSER IN COMBINATION WITH AN AERATING DEVICEFOR A BOTTLED LIQUID Robert F. Henningfield, P.O. Box 216, Waterford,Wis. 53185 Filed May 29, 1967, Ser. No. 642,011 Claims. (Cl. 222-479)This invention relates to a liquid dispenser for an aerated liquid bodysubstance egressing from the dispenser as when gravitating from a narrownecked bottle, and more particularly to a valve member associated withboth the aerating and dispensing device.

The invention residing within a valve member which is adapted for usewith an aerating device which is associated with the open mouth of aconventional liqueur bottle, and which valve member synchronizesselectively the opening or closing of a pair of liquid outlet and airinlet ports.

The main object of my invention is to provide a valved dispenser inassociation with an aerating device for a bottled liquid body substancewhich will facilitate the metering of a drink portion directed into ashot glass positioned on a planar surface, and which will substantiallypreclude the splashing of the liquid body substance over the sidesthereof, whereby wasting the valuable product, and the time required towipe up the drippings.

Another object of my invention is to provide the means within a liquiddispensing valve which will effect a dual sealing means for both the airinlet and liquid outlet ports associated with the aerating device whichwill substantially preclude the evaporation of the remaining portion ofa liqueur body substance stored within a bottle, as it is now known tooccur through the use of cross threaded caps, and deteriorated corkplugs which are adapted to serve as closures for liqueur bottles.

A further object of my invention is to provide a closure means for aliqueur bottle which will preclude the trapping of a winged insect asthrough the open mouth of the bottle.

A still further object of my invention resides in the means forinterlocking the valved dispenser with a bottle which precludestampering with the liquid body substance, and also conforms to theregulations on liquor bottle closures as is so set forth in the Federalliquor statutes.

A still further and important object of my invention is to provide avalved liquid dispenser for use by distilleries at a relatively lowmanufacturing cost whereby they can be destroyed by bartenders workingin licensed drinking establishments, as when destroying the empty liquorbottle.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will henceforth become morereadily apparent through the following specification with reference hadto the accompanied drawing, wherein like numerals are employed todesignate similar components of construction, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of my invention as when adapted foruse with a conventional liquor bottle which is fragmentary in order toconserve space.

FIGURE 2 is a view in vertical section taken substantially along theline 7-7 of FIG. 1, with the use of arrows being employed to illustratepictorially the directions taken by both the ingressing of air throughthe liquid dispenser toward the interior of the bottle and thesimultaneous egressing of a liquid body substance gravitating therefrom.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view in side elevation of my invention withcertain selective portions removed from the body members in order toreveal inner components of construction.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIG.3.

3,384,276 Patented May 21, 1968 FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view takensubstantially on the line 9-9 of the same FIG. 3.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view taken substantially on the line 1010 of FIG.3.

Referring now best to both FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing there isillustrated a present and preferred embodiment of my invention which ingeneral constitutes a tubular and cylindrical casing 16 and a valvemember 30 which is associated therewith, with the casing 16 and thevalve member 30 being best illustrated in FIG. 3. Both of thesecomponents of construction are moulded of a plastic material known asPolypropylene which is classified as Grade 1014 un-modified. It beingestablished that moulded products of this plastic material have aninherent characteristic of becoming substantially pliable when in aheated state and substantially rigid during the heat loss thereof;whereby making it possible to either inter-fit or over-fit variouscomponents which serve to make up a complete product. Furthermore,moulded products of this plastic material are impervious, low in processodors, and which can be produced at a relatively low manufacturing costwhen considered with its intended purpose.

The tubular casing 16 consists of a lower body portion 11 which issubstantially sector in shape, and which carries a neck portion 11a atan upwardly inclined angle thereto, and which is provided with a faceportion 26 on the lower inclined axis thereof.

Interposing the lower body portion 11 and the neck portion 11a there isprovided a closure member 18 which is disposed at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the neck portion 11a.

Depending from the lower body portion 11 there is an integral collar 15which has its opening aligned in concentric relation with the interiorof the lower chamber 18a of the casing 16. The collar 15 is providedwith an annular groove 14 medially and interiorly thereof, and dependingtherefrom there is provided a flared opening 14a which extends throughthe lower portion thereof.

The collar 15 serves to secure the casing 16 in superposed relation witha prefilled liqueur bottle 12 having an enlongated neck portion 13, anannular bead 17 surrounding the open mouth thereof, and a rib 13a whichis in contiguous relation with the bead 17. The flared opening 14aserves to seat the upper portion of the bottle rib 13a therein, and theannular groove 14 serves to complement a sealing fit with the bottlebead 17 as when the casing 16 is in a heated state whereby the flaredopening 14a can be press fitted over the bottle bead 17, and when thecasing 16 has attained a substantially rigid state during the heat lossthereof, the collar 15 serves to lock the casing 16 with the bottle 12and which composite serves to preclude the removal of the former fromthe latter for the reason to be hereinafter described.

Disposed eccentrically the closure member 18 and aligned at right anglesto the medial and longitudinal axis of the casings 16, face 26, there isprovided a bore defined herein as an air inlet port 21 from whichdepends an integral conduit 22 provided with a closure member 24 at thelower free end thereof, and adjacent thereto there is provided anopening 23 which transverses the wall of the conduit 22, and whichopening 23 is adjacent the inner wall of the bottle 12 intermediate theupper end thereof, and aligned diametrically with the air inlet port 21and spaced equally the opposite radial sides of the air inlet port 21there is provided a second bore defined herein as a liquid outlet port20 whereby, it is readily apparent that when the 'bottle 12 is inclinedfrom a vertical axis with the liquid body substance favoring the liquidoutlet port 20, the closure member 24 associated with the conduit 22will preclude the liquid body substance from entering and blocking thepassage therein which would interfere with the air passing through theconduit 22 in the direction of the arrows 49, and which air atatmospheric pressure fills the void above the liquid body substance whengravitating through the liquid outlet port 20 in the direction of thearrows 48 thereby the areated liquid body substance will {flow freelyand quietly from the upper chamber 29a associated With the casing 16,however, and in order to control the rate of fiow of the liquid bodysubstance egressingthe upper chamber 29:: it is necessary to carefullymanipulate the level of the liquid body substance through the bottle 12,and unless a shot glass is brought into association with the upperchamber 29a.the liquid body'substance will have a tendency to splashwhen dispensed therein, consequently dripping from the sides thereof,which generally constituted both a waste of the product and timeconsumed in drying the surface uponwhich the shot glass is positioned.Furthermore, it being established that an alcoholic vapor emittedthrough the opening of a bottle when inadvertently left open will stun awinged insect perched upon the mouth thereof whereby, trapping theinsect when falling inwardly the neck thereof, and consequentlycontaminating the product, and through consideration of theseaforementioned problems I have devised a valve member 30 which incombination with the herein described liquid aerating device willsubstantially preclude the aforementioned problems from occurring, andwhich combination constitutes my invention as henceforth described.

Provided with the upper body portion 11a associated with the casing 16and transversing at right angles the face 26 thereof there is provided alaterally mounted liquid dispensing tube 28 the interior of whichcommunicates with the chamber 29a, and diametrically aligned therewithand provided through the opposite side of the wall thereof there is anopening defined as a primary air inlet port 27, having its diametricaxis aligned in parallelism with the diametric axis which bisects boththe air-inlet port 21 now to be known as the secondary air-inlet port,and the liquid outlet port 20. I

Now best referring to FIGURE 3 within the drawing there is shown thevalve member 30 removed from the casing 16, and which comprises acylindrical core 50 provided with an annular groove 34 adjacent thelower wall 33 thereof. The core 50 complements a rotatable fit with theperipheral surface surrounding the chamber 29a and serves to seal boththe liquid outlet and the secondary air inlet ports 20 and 21respectively, as when the lower wall 33 thereof bears resilientlyagainst the upper face 19 of the closure member 18, and whichrelationship is secured against forward axial movement 'by an integralannular rib 29 provided upon the inner peripheral surface of the upperbody portion 11a which complements a frictional fit with the annulargroove 34 as when the core member 50 is press fitted within the chamber29a during the established heat state of the casing 16 as has beenpreviosuly described.

The core member 50 is adapted to serve alternately as a means to eitherestablish or to break a communicating means between the primary air andsecondary air inlet ports 27 and 21 respectively, and to synchronizetherewith the making or breaking of a communicating means between theliquid dispensing tube 28 and the liquid port 20 as through a pair ofspaced and diametrically aligned bores 31 and 32 which have their lowerintermediate portions transversing the lower wall 33 of the core member50 and which are disposed in registry with both the secondary air inletand the liquid outlet pair of respective ports 21 and 20, the oppositeand upper intermediate portions of the bores 31 and 32 transversediametrically the opposite radial sides of the core member 50 and whichbores 31 and 32 are aligned in registry with the primary air inlet port27 and the liquid dispensing tube 28, whereby it is readily apparentthat the core member 50 is further adapted to provide a dual sealingmeans for both the secondary air inlet and the liquid outlet pair ofrespective ports 21 and 20 which have been described as in communicationwith the interior of the bottle 12 and thereby substantially obviatingthe evaporation of the alcoholic liquid body substance stored therein,as when the bores 31 and 32 are moved out of alignment with theirrespective inlet and outlet ports as through the rotational movement ofthe core member 50, and which rotational movement is effected by themanipulation of a winged lever 44.

The Winged lever 44 is provided with an indexing member 45 formed withone end portion thereof, and which lever 44 surmounts diametrically acylindrical head member having the lower wall thereof aligned inconcentric relation with both the free end wall of the core member 50and the free end or rim of the casing 16, both the lever 44 and the headmember 35 are detachably secured to the core member 50 as by a pair offlat headed and slotted machine screws 46 each of which complementslidably a pair of spaced bores 40 and 41 provided transversely throughthe lever 44, and a second pair of respective bores 40 and 41 providedtransversely through the head member 35, and which screws 46 threadedlyengage respective apertures 42 and 43 provided within the upper bodyportion of the core member 50, and interposing the contiguous relationof the lower wall 33 associated with the valve member 30 and both theupper end wall of the core member and the rim of the casing 16 there isprovided a resilient gasket 36 which is adapted to serve as animpervious seal for the contiguous relation between the peripheral wallsurface of the core member 50 and the inner peripheral wall surface ofthe upper body portion 11a associated with the casing 16.

For convenience of operation relative to the open or closed positions ofthe valve member 30 there is provided an arcuate slot 35 which may bedisposed eccentrically and aligned medially on the diametric axis whichinterposes the first and fourth quadrants of the lower wall 33associated therewith. The arcuate slot 35 serves to limit the rotationalmovement of the valve member 30 relative to the fixed positioning of astud 25 which is carried by the closure member 18 and which projectsinwardly the slot 35, whereby the transverse sides of the slot 35 areadapted to serve alternately as abutments for the selective rotationalmovement applied upon the valve member 30, and when the valve member 30is rotated in the direction of the arrow marked Open from a normallyclosed position it becomes readily apparent that the indexing member 45associated with the lever 44 will visually indicate the positioning ofthe valve member 30 relative to the fixed positioning of the casing 16,and also the bottle may now be inclined for a pouring operation with thedispensing tube 28 directed toward the interior of a shot glasspositioned upon a planar surface prior to the egressing of the liquidbody substance therefrom, and which can now be regulated from a trickleto a relative full flow, as by the rotational manipulation applied uponthe valve member 30 through the lever 44.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided avery durable, simple, and comparatively inexpensive valve member incombination with a liquid aerating device adapted for use withconventional liqueur bottles, which can be discarded with the emptybottle, however it will be understood that various changes may be madein form, arrangement and proportions of the various parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, as is henceforth claimed.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a liquid aerating device having a cylindrical andtubular lower body member formed sector in shape, a collar dependingintegrally from the said body member adapted to secure said body memberin superposed and telescopic relation with the upper portion of a narrownecked conventional liqueur bottle surrounding the open mouth thereof, aclosure member integral with the inner surface of the said body memberdisposed adjacent the radial rim thereof, said closure having adiametric axis inclined to the central and longitudinal axis extendingexteriorly the said bottle, said closure member provided with both aliquid outlet and an air inlet pair of respective ports disposedconcentrically on the said diametric axis, said air inlet port alignedintermediate the upper plane of the said closure member, a conduithaving one closed end disposed eccentrically within the bottle neckportion, said end portion having a side opening in proximity with thewall of the said neck portion, said conduit having the upper end thereofsecured in sealing engagement with the said air inlet port; of an uppercylindrical and tubular body member provided with a uniform openinginteriorly thereof carried integrally by the said lower upper bodymember, said upper body member constituting a valve body having adispensing tube projecting laterally the lower inclined wall andadjacent the radial rim thereof, said dispensing tube having its centraland longitudinal axis aligned diametrically with an auxiliary air inletport provided through the opposite wall of the said upper body member,said diametric axis being disposed in parallelism with the said axisbisecting both the liquid dispensing and air inlet pair of respectiveports, a valve .member comprising a cylindrical core having a peripheralsurface complementing a contiguous fit with the inner surface of thesaid upper body member, said core having the lower wall thereof inbearing and sealing relation with the upper face of the said closuremember, and the upper wall thereof in planar relation with the radialrim of the said upper body member, means to rotatably secure said coremember interiorly the said valve body member relative to longitudinalmovement therefrom, communicating means provided through the said valvecore, said communicating means interposing both the liquid outlet andthe interior opening of the said dispensing tube, a second communicatingmeans provided through the said valve core spaced diametrically from thefirst said communicating means, said second communicating meansinterposing both the air inlet and auxiliary air inlet pair ofrespective ports, whereby rotational movement of the said valve coresynchronizes both the opening and closing of the liquid outlet and airinlet pairs of respective ports selectively, a head member complementingthe exterior periphery of the said valve body, said head membersurmounting in spaced relation both the upper wall of the valve core andthe radial rim of the valve body, a winged lever carried diametricallyby the said head member, said lever having the longitudinal r andcentral axis thereof aligned in vertical relation relative to thecentral and longitudinal axis extending from the said dispensing tube, aresilient circular gasket interposing the said head member and both theupper wall of the said valve core and the said radial rim of the valvebody, said gasket compressed therebetween as when the lever isdetachably secured to the upper body portion of the said valve corethrough the said head member and the said gasket whereby effecting animpervious seal for the contiguous relation of the said valve core andthe inner surface of the said valve body, stop means interposing thelower wall of the said valve core and the upper face of the said closuremember adapted to limit the rotational movement of the said valve corerelative to the wholly open or closed position of the said communicatingmeans for making or breaking continuity with both the air inlet andliquid outlet pairs of respective ports, indexing means cooperating withthe limits of the said stop means whereby the selective rotationalmovement applied upon the valve core through manual manipulation of thelever will visually indicate either the open or closed positioning ofthe valve member.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first saidcommunicating means interposing the said liquid outlet port and the saiddispensing tube comprises an inverted right angled bore the dependingleg of which being aligned axially with the liquid outlet port and thelateral leg thereof being aligned axially with the said dispensing tube.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said secondcommunicating means interposing the said first air inlet and theauxiliary air inlet pair of respective ports comprises a second invertedright angle bore the depending leg of which is spaced radially from thefirst said depending leg, and which second depending leg is axiallyaligned with the first said air inlet port and the lateral leg thereofbeing disposed in diametrical alignment with the first said lateral leg,and which second said lateral leg is disposed in axial alignment withthe said auxiliary air inlet port.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein the stop means limitingthe rotational movement of the said valve core comprises an arcuategroove interposing radially the first and second said depending legs ofthe inverted right angled bores formed through the valve core, andabutting the transverse sides of the arcuate groove selectively there isprovided a stem which projects vertically from the upper face of thesaid closure member.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the indexing meansco-operating with the stop means for visually indicating the open orclosed position of the valve member comprises an arrow head formed bythe taper of the side walls at one end portion of the lever, said arrowhead when rotated with the valve core as through the lever in theselective direction of an arcuately shaped arrow marked with the indiciaopen imprinted upon the open face of the said head member will indicatethe wholly open position of the valve member when in vertical alignmentwith the central and longitudinal axis of the dispensing tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 89,299 4/1869 Fenn 22-484 868,69110/1907 Orton 222484 2,142,644 1/1939 Gould 222484 X 2,362,905 l1/l944Kuhlman 222-479 X 2,839,227 6/1958 Wilson ct al 222484 FOREIGN PATENTS855,231 2/1940 France. 985,087 3/1965 Great Britain.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATION OF LIQUID AERATING DEVICE HAVING A CYLINDRICAL ANDTUBULAR LOWER BODY MEMBER FORMED SECTOR IN SHAPE, A COLLAR DEPENDINGINTEGRALLY FROM THE SAID BODY MEMBER ADAPTED TO SECURE SAID BODY MEMBERIN SUPERPOSED AND TELESCOPIC RELATION WITH THE UPPER PORTION OF A NARROWNECKED CONVENTIONAL LIQUEUR BOTTLE SURROUNDING THE OPEN MOUTH THEREOF, ACLOSURE MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SAID BODY MEMBERDISPOSED ADJACENT THE RADIAL RIM THEREOF, SAID CLOSURE HAVING ADIAMETRIC AXIS INCLINED TO THE CENTRAL AND LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDINGEXTERIORLY THE SAID BOTTLE, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER PROVIDED WITH BOTH ALIQUID OUTLET AND AN AIR INLET PAIR OF RESPECTIVE PORTS DISPOSEDCONCENTRICALLY ON THE SAID DIAMETRIC AXIS, SAID AIR INLET PORT ALIGNEDINTERMEDIATE THE UPPER PLANE OF THE SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, A CONDUITHAVING ONE CLOSED END DISPOSED ECCENTRICALLY WITHIN THE BOTTLE NECKPORTION, SAID END PORTION HAVING A SIDE OPENING IN PROXIMITY WITH THEWALL OF THE SAID NECK PORTION, SAID CONDUIT HAVING THE UPPER END THEREOFSECURED IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID AIR INLET PORT; OF AN UPPERCYLINDRICAL AND TUBULAR BODY MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A UNIFORM OPENINGINTERIORLY THEREOF CARRIED INTEGRALLY BY THE SAID LOWER UPPER BODYMEMBER, SAID UPPER BODY MEMBER CONSTITUTING A VALVE BODY HAVING ADISPENSING TUBE PROJECTING LATERALLY THE LOWER INCLINED WALL ANDADJACENT THE RADIAL RIM THEREOF, SAID DISPENSING TUBE HAVING ITS CENTRALAND LONGITUDINAL AXIS ALIGNED DIAMETRICALLY WITH AN AUXILIARY AIR INLETPORT PROVIDED THROUGH THE OPPOSITE WALL OF THE SAID UPPER BODY MEMBER,SAID DIAMETRIC AXIS BEING DISPOSED IN PARALLELISM WITH THE SAID AXISBISECTING BOTH THE LIQUID DISPENSING AND AIR INLET PAIR OF RESPECTIVEPORTS, A VALVE MEMBER COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL CORE HAVING A PERIPHERALSURFACE COMPLEMENTING A CONTIGUOUS FIT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THESAID UPPER BODY MEMBER, SAID CORE HAVING THE LOWER WALL THEREOF INBEARING AND SEALING RELATION WITH THE UPPER FACE OF THE SAID CLOSUREMEMBER, AND THE UPPER WALL THEREOF IN PLANAR RELATION WITH THE RADIALRIM OF THE SAID UPPER BODY MEMBER, MEANS TO ROTATABLY SECURE SAID COREMEMBER INTERIORLY THE SAID VALVE BODY MEMBER RELATIVE TO LONGITUDINALMOVEMENT THEREFROM, COMMUNICATING MEANS PROVIDED THROUGH THE SAID VALVECORE, SAID COMMUNICATING MEANS INTERPOSING BOTH THE LIQUID OUTLET ANDTHE INTERIOR OPENING OF THE SAID DISPENSING TUBE, A SECOND COMMUNICATINGMEANS PROVIDED THROUGH THE SAID VALVE CORE SPACED DIAMETRICALLY FROM THEFIRST SAID COMMUNICATING MEANS, SAID SECOND COMMUNICATING MEANSINTERPOSING BOTH THE AIR INLET AND AUXILIARY AIR INLET PAIR OFRESPECTIVE PORTS, WHEREBY ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE SAID VALVE CORESYNCHRONIZES BOTH THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE LIQUID OUTLET AND AIRINLET PAIRS OF RESPECTIVE PORTS SELECTIVELY, A HEAD MEMBER COMPLEMENTINGTHE EXTERIOR PERIPHERY OF THE VALVE BODY SAID HEAD MEMBER SURMOUNTING INSPACED RELATION BOTH THE UPPER WALL OF THE VALVE CORE AND THE RADIAL RIMOF THE VALVE BODY, A WINGED LEVER CARRIED DIAMETRICALLY BY THE SAID HEADMEMBER, SAID LEVER HAVING THE LONGITUDINAL AND CENTRAL AXIS THEREOFALIGNED IN VERTICAL RELATION RELATIVE TO THE CENTRAL AND LONGITUDINALAXIS EXTENDING FROM THE SAID DISPENSING TUBE, A RESILIENT CIRCULARGASKET INTERPOSING THE SAID HEAD MEMBER AND BOTH THE UPPER WALL OF THESAID VALVE CORE AND THE SAID RADIAL RIM OF THE VALVE BODY, SAID GASKETCOMPRESSED THEREBETWEEN AS WHEN THE LEVER IS DETACHABLY SECURED TO THEUPPER BODY PORTION OF THE SAID VALVE CORE THROUGH THE SAID HEAD MEMBERAND THE SAID GASKET WHEREBY EFFECTING AN IMPERVIOUS SEAL FOR THECONTIGUOUS RELATION OF THE SAID VALVE CORE AND THE INNER SURFACE OF THESAID VALVE BODY, STOP MEANS INTERPOSING THE LOWER WALL OF THE SAID VALVECORE AND THE UPPER FACE OF THE SAID CLOSURE MEMBER ADAPTED TO LIMIT THEROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE SAID VALVE CORE RELATIVE TO THE WHOOLY OPENOR CLOSED POSITION OF THE SAID COMMUNICATING MEANS FOR MAKING ORBREAKING CONTINUITY WITH BOTH THE AIR INLET AND LIQUID OUTLET PAIRS OFRESPECTIVE PORTS, INDEXING MEANS CO-OPERATING WITH THE LIMITS OF THESAID STOP MEANS WHEREBY THE SELECTIVE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT APPLIED UPONTHE VALVE CORE THROUGH MANUAL MANIPULATION OF THE LEVER WILL VISUALLYINDICATE EITHER THE OPEN OR CLOSED POSITIONING OF THE VALVE MEMBER.